A simple “I have” seemed to have ended the conversation.
Xu Tangzhou thought it over but couldn’t come up with any other topics to talk about. He typed and then deleted, deleted and then typed in the chat box, as if he were carefully choosing his words for an essay question during an exam. Yet every sentence seemed so inappropriate.
Finally, he calmed down and looked at his phone for a good ten minutes or more, only then confirming that Ling Che would not send any more messages.
A faint sense of loss suddenly surged up again, extinguishing the excitement he had just felt. Xu Tangzhou wondered: What is Ling Che doing now?
Could he be resting, or discussing work?
Was he at home, or somewhere else?
What was Ling Che like when they were not recording a show together?
Ling Che was right. He really was “Xu Tangzhou who knew nothing.” Apart from understanding Ling Che one-sidedly like a fan, he knew nothing else.
But on the contrary, it seemed that Ling Che might have known him a little better…
Somehow, the scene of Ling Che watching him get into the car just now resurfaced, lingering in Xu Tangzhou’s mind.
Could it be that during the time he lost his memory, someone had also seen him off into a car like this?
Why did that feeling seem like they would never meet again?
He tried to firmly grasp that feeling to recall it, but it was like a cunning fish, slipping into his palm and then elusively escaping. Just like when Ling Che taught him to calculate the basic funds, like when he rode a bicycle in Surland, like when Ling Che joked with him in a familiar tone, like when he and Ling Che returned to the cabin from the Bird’s Nest restaurant… In those fleeting moments of déjà vu that he couldn’t catch, it seemed like there should be another person by his side.
His memory was empty. The more he tried to dig, the less he could remember.
When Huang Qian came to deliver food, he noticed something was off with Xu Tangzhou, thinking he was just tired.
“What’s wrong?”
Xu Tangzhou pulled his thoughts back, sighed, and said maturely, “…Lonely.”
Huang Qian looked around and felt that Xu Tangzhou seemed a bit lonely being alone in the apartment.
He bought Xu Tangzhou a lot of food and some fruit, seemingly intending for Xu Tangzhou not to go out for the next two days. After arranging everything, Huang Qian found something for him to do: “Zhouzhou, if you have time later, do a live stream. Just casually say hello and let your fans know you’re back. Keep it casual.”
The recent hot search on Flow, #HaveYouApologizedToXuTangzhouToday, had yet to receive any response from Xu Tangzhou himself.
Of course, Huang Qian wasn’t asking Xu Tangzhou to respond to that now, but just to greet and maintain a presence without being too standoffish. It was a delicate balance; whether he played the second male lead or the third in the future, he needed a high level of fan favorability, to be both visible and low-key.
Xu Tangzhou: “……”
Such a request really required no skill!
Before leaving, Huang Qian said, “Remember to change your clothes first. Wear something like home clothes to make it more natural.”
It was only after Huang Qian’s reminder that Xu Tangzhou realized he was still wearing the clothes he had come back from the airport in. He rummaged through his wardrobe for a while and put on a relatively high-end set of loungewear before sitting down at the table.
Xu Tangzhou hadn’t tanned over these days, and the dark blue loungewear actually made him look even paler.
He placed his phone on the coffee table and found something to prop it up with, then just sat on the floor and began to eat, keeping in mind the instruction to maintain a presence while being low-key.
It had been a while since Xu Tangzhou last showed up on Flow. The most recent was a retweet of an official announcement before recording the show, and even earlier was the live stream on New Year’s Day.
As soon as he started, the number of online viewers surged dramatically.
It was many times more than before.
“Hello everyone, I’m back,” Xu Tangzhou said to the phone. The omnipresent cameras over the past few days had made him immune to the lens, so he felt quite calm inside.
[Zai Zai!!!!! 5555 Mommy loves you!]
[You finally showed up!!! I didn’t wait in vain on Flow for you all day today!]
[Didn’t you miss us at all?]
……
“Fortunately, longing is silent,” Xu Tangzhou said lightly, “I’m afraid it would deafen me.”
[hhhhhh that’s my Zai Zai for sure!]
[Ah, I’m dead, my idol is flirting with me today]
[What is Zai Zai eating?]
……
“It’s a lovingly prepared dinner bought by my agent,” Xu Tangzhou replied while taking a bite of his meal, “High in nutrition and low in fat, whoever eats it will look pretty.”
[You’re already so pretty, hmph]
[Give it to me! Eat more! If it’s not enough, I’ll buy you more!]
[I’m stealing my husband’s money to support you!!!]
[I saw the behind-the-scenes footage, Zai Zai was eating leftover takeout qaq stupid production team]
……
The food from the Bird’s Nest restaurant was only eaten once, and Xu Tangzhou, not wanting to reveal too much about the show, simply said: “Stupid production team +1.”
[Hahahahahaha]
[Hahahaha I bet that’s what you were thinking when you ate the leftovers!!!]
[So real]
[Even our brother ate it, Xu Tangzhou isn’t that delicate]
[Hahahaha God Che clearly had a disgusted face before and said he doesn’t eat leftovers hahahaha]
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
[Warning: It’s actually delicious]
Ktf ijafra yftlcv-atf-rmfcfr obbajuf gfifjrfv kjr fzjmais bo atflg ugbeq gfaegclcu ogbw atf Dlgv’r Rfra gfrajegjca.
Efwfwyfglcu atf rmfcf, We Kjcuhtbe mbeivc’a tfiq yea rwlif rilutais: “Zww-tww, P kjr jirb regqglrfv.”
Olcu Jtf vlv lcvffv mifjgis fzqgfrr atja tf vbfrc’a fja ifoabnfgr, jcv We Kjcuhtbe vlvc’a qijc ab boofg atfw ab Olcu Jtf flatfg. Ca atf alwf, tf atbeuta rjnlcu atf mbra bo bcf qfgrbc’r wfji kjr ubbv, yea joafg atfs gfaegcfv, Olcu Jtf vlvc’a rjs jcsatlcu jcv pera rtjgfv atja vlccfg klat tlw.
There were still a few boxes of packed food left uneaten when they changed filming locations, and Xu Tangzhou felt that Ling Che would have finished eating with him if they hadn’t moved.
Ling Che, that person, seems to be a bit insincere with his words.
[It’s just for show, would he eat if there were no omegas present? (Pretending not to understand is whitewashing)]
[Black fans, roll away a]
[Not allowed to speak now? Joined a show and forgot everything, are you all amoebas?]
[ Keep your negativity to yourself, this is Zaizai's place ]
[How’s Zai Zai enjoying himself?]
……
“Five minutes out the door, two hours of sweating, Surland is so much fun!” Xu Tangzhou ignored those comments, pretending not to see them, and emotionlessly promoted, “You should try it if you get the chance. You can save quite a bit of money without even realizing it! 《I Got Rich by Being Frugal》I’ll give you the secret manual for free, no need to thank me.”
Amidst the joking and banter, the barrage of comments became more scattered, and Xu Tangzhou picked a few questions to answer.
“Senior Lu is fine now. He’s had stitches, everyone don’t worry.”
“The subsequent matters will be handled by the company.”
“No, there’s no discord, nor any deliberate targeting.”
“I was actually planning that if I really ran out of money, I would just lie in bed and go nowhere, saving a meal wherever I can.”
Some viewers noticed that the sofa behind him was the same one from the New Year’s Day live stream.
[Zhouzhou, are you at home? I think I’ve seen this place before!]
[Are those books piled on the sofa yours? 【starry-eyed】]
[Crying, my idol works so hard, and I’m like an illiterate…]
Xu Tangzhou glanced back at the books, which were all related to medicine. There were already many in the house, and this stack on the sofa must have been left by Qiu Yin, who probably came back at some point and left in a hurry without having time to tidy up.
“They belong to a friend of mine. He has a lot of books, even under the bed,” Xu Tangzhou stood up and took the books to Qiu Yin’s room.
By the time he returned, a lot of new messages had appeared in the chat. Many people asked about his friend and whether they were from the entertainment industry.
“He’s a top student, a genius, a future doctor, really impressive,” Xu Tangzhou said with a hint of pride, “We’ve lived together for several years now, but he’s not here at the moment.”
[Zai Zai is home alone, pat pat]
[Hugs! We’ll keep you company!]
[Be good, your husband will be back soon to keep you company, wait cleanly 【heart】]
[???? The one before????]
[I’m right on Zai Zai’s bed, I’d like to see who dares to take my place!!!]
[Why not go hang out with God Che? I want to see a live stream with God Che in it…]
Amidst the cheeky comments, Xu Tangzhou saw one that was refreshingly different and replied: “Ling Che is probably busy. He’s going to have a concert soon.”
[Will you go?]
[You must be going! Ahhh, I bought front row tickets, will I run into Zhouzhou!!!]
[Me too! But I got back row seats, so frustrating!]
[It’s hard to get tickets for gege’s concert, I’m asking here if anyone is selling… willing to pay more… 【humble】]
Xu Tangzhou sighed, half-jokingly saying, “I would like to go… but unfortunately, I don’t have a ticket.”
He hadn’t thought about competing with fans for tickets before, and Ling Che hadn’t mentioned it afterward.
They weren’t close enough for that, and he felt embarrassed to ask.
The barrage of comments didn’t believe him and even egged him on to ask Ling Che for tickets.
In just over ten minutes, Xu Tangzhou had completed his live session and even promised his fans that he would rest well. Fans around the world were mostly the same, the majority were very considerate.
He began to understand why he felt lonely.
It wasn’t because Qiu Yin wasn’t there.
It hadn’t even been a day apart, and he was already starting to miss that person.
Even though they hadn’t interacted much during the filming of the show, why did he feel this way?
With the show fermenting, there were already many behind-the-scenes clips and leaked photos of 《Our Perfect Journey》 online. Xu Tangzhou laid on the sofa and simply started browsing through the photos tagged with the show.
He saw quite a few photos of himself with Ling Che; in the car, by the sea, and also inside the cabin.
The show’s photography team indeed had a great aesthetic. He noticed that in several photos, he was caught with a slight smile, making him look less aloof. Although Ling Che wasn’t very close to him, it was evident that his expressions were cheerful.
Ling Che was naturally photogenic, easily becoming the focal point of any picture. Sometimes, just a profile shot of him was enough to make hearts skip a beat.
Xu Tangzhou frantically saved these photos.
One of them was from when they had just arrived in Surland and were hailing a cab by the roadside.
He was standing at the curb, while Ling Che sat on a suitcase behind him, lifting his arm from behind and telling him that this was how you should hail a cab in Surland. The distant azure coastline, the tropical breeze, and the white T-shirts on both of them evoked a strong sense of youth.
The comments on this photo were quite interesting.
[Ah, I can do it!! Gege, I can! I’m tired of saying these three words!]
[Am I the only one jealous of Ling Che? Xu Tangzhou is just too good-looking 【lemon】【lemon】【lemon】]
[I love the height difference]
[The most visually pleasing AO, I’m all for it, please don’t just stay friends, fall in love]
[The hot comments are toxic, they just recorded a show together, it’s clear to anyone with eyes that they’re not close, can we not randomly matchmake? Ling Che doesn’t date, thank you]
[Not close? You’re telling me they’re not close with Ling Che making that face? If they’re not close, I’ll eat my keyboard on live]
[+1, they should be friends, right? When has gege ever been like this with anyone? Just watch the show, don’t start rumors]
Xu Tangzhou didn’t realize that Ling Che’s expression at the time was like that.
Arrogant, yet with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
Xu Tangzhou looked at the photo of Ling Che for a long time, then saved the photo to savor it slowly.
As an internet-addicted youth, he didn’t normally have OCD, but out of sheer boredom, he felt compelled to clear out the accumulated private messages and likes in his backend, only feeling comfortable after getting rid of all those 9999+ notifications.
In the “Messages from Followed Accounts” section, there was one unread message.
Xu Tangzhou’s heart skipped a beat as he remembered something.
That’s right! When they first started recording the show, before they left, in the studio, he discovered that Ling Che had followed him and had accidentally triggered a system-generated private message to Ling Che, which was extremely silly and embarrassing.
After sending the message, Ling Che had glanced at him, and the chat box showed that the other party was typing, but it kept spinning due to a poor signal.
He didn’t know whether Ling Che had canceled the message or sent it, as he didn’t have time to check before handing over his phone.
Now, the section showed: Ling Che 45361v+
So Ling Che replied to him!
What had Ling Che replied at that time?
They hadn’t interacted much back then, so it must have been quite different from how they spoke now!
Xu Tangzhou couldn’t contain his excitement and immediately opened the private message, but he was stunned after reading the content.
Ling Che 45361v: I’m not interested in you, stop fantasizing about the past.
This tone, it seemed like he particularly disliked him. Xu Tangzhou’s heart sank as he reluctantly reviewed the message he had sent.
Xu Tangzhou zzv: To you, I must be the most special one, right? Thank you for making me your first, your only, one in ten thousand. 【heart】
Xu Tangzhou zzv: Click on my profile to discover more bloggers with similar interests and expand your social circle! Flow, because discovery makes life exciting!
The timestamps of the messages were jumbled. Ling Che’s private message was clearly sent before the latter reply, but due to the network lag, it ended up at the end, so Xu Tangzhou hadn’t seen it before the system automatically sent the second message.
Ling Che must have realized this.
Because at the bottom there was a line in small print: [The other party has withdrawn this message]
It seems Ling Che also had his share of mishaps with Flow’s quirky system.
But the darn network lagged past Flow’s server, and Xu Tangzhou still received it.
He covered his face, realizing it must have been those two system-generated messages that provoked such a response from Ling Che.
His eyes were fixed on that sentence, yet he was drawn to the choice of words used. Seeing the screen automatically turn off, he turned it back on to confirm again, and indeed, Ling Che had used the word “past.”
I’m not interested in you, stop fantasizing about the past—What past? They didn’t know each other before, so what past could there be? This doesn’t seem to refer to any unpleasantness during their first meeting, does it?
Xu Tangzhou incredulously wondered if Ling Che had made a mistake with his hands? Could he have gotten something wrong?
Xu Tangzhou was no fool. This private message, arriving a week late, seemed like it was arranged by fate, causing many details that had once fleetingly crossed his mind to resurface all at once.
This time they formed a complete logical thread, pointing to a possibility that was becoming increasingly plausible.
[Not close? You’re telling me they’re not close with Ling Che making that face? If they’re not close, I’ll eat my keyboard on live]
[+1, they must be friends, right? When has brother ever been like this with anyone?]
Even the comments on the photo were reminding him.
Xu Tangzhou thought: what if the “past” Ling Che mentioned wasn’t referring to their first meeting, but to an even earlier time? Just now in his memories, he felt that those flashbacks should have included another person by his side. Now he realized that every time he experienced a sense of déjà vu, Ling Che was there with him.
If… that person was Ling Che.
Brainstorming didn’t cost anything, and Xu Tangzhou began to recall his interactions with Ling Che more boldly.
The attitude during their first meeting.
Knowing he was called Zai Zai.
Knowing he was bad at math.
Knowing he was allergic to berries.
And knowing he liked dogs.
Could there really be a possibility that they had known each other for a long time?
With such a significant difference in status, if there was a possibility, where could it have been?
That’s right, in the midst of deep thought, Xu Tangzhou had a sudden flash of inspiration—Bofeni!
He leapt up from the sofa all at once!
The only significant chance for them to have known each other was during the period when Xu Tangzhou walked in a show for Bofeni!
Last time in the studio, the host Qi Mu had also noticed a blind spot and asked if they had met during the Bofeni show.
But Xu Tangzhou had no memory of that time at all.
He only remembered Ling Che saying that they were not close. If they didn’t know each other, given Ling Che’s personality, shouldn’t he have simply denied it? Why fabricate a lie?
If they really did know each other, then Ling Che’s private message could be well explained, and Ling Che’s attitude the first time they met could also be explained—it must be because something unpleasant had happened in their past.
Upon closer reflection, it seemed that their relationship truly began to improve only after Ling Che became certain of his amnesia.
Xu Tangzhou sat in a daze for a long time.
If he guessed correctly, then why didn’t Ling Che tell him?
What exactly was going on?
Two days later, Huang Qian came to pick up Xu Tangzhou to go to the company for classes.
On the way, Huang Qian talked to him about the choice of scripts: “How are you considering it? Do you still want to shoot 《Yufeng》 that script?”
Xu Tangzhou’s intentions had not changed: “Yes. I still feel like starting with such a role.”
“Alright then.” Huang Qian had clearly thought it through as well and agreed readily, “Taking it one step at a time is good. If we move steadily, we’ll go further in the future.”
After analyzing for a while, Huang Qian noticed that Xu Tangzhou seemed somewhat distracted.
It was rare for Xu Tangzhou to be like this, so Huang Qian asked him, “What’s wrong with you today?”
Sitting in the back left seat, Xu Tangzhou’s features were composed, and he unexpectedly had the air of a cold beauty even in front of someone he knew well.
Hearing Huang Qian’s question, Xu Tangzhou slowly voiced the doubts hidden in his heart: “Brother Huang, I always feel… like I knew Ling Che before.”
Huang Qian’s expression changed slightly, and he asked in surprise, “Did you remember something?”
Xu Tangzhou shook his head: “No.”
He was just speculating. In the past two days, he had called his mother, Xie Rui, twice, but each time he received the same response from her assistant, “Miss Xie is in a meeting.” With his memory of those years completely gone, his mother might know something.
Huang Qian: “Why don’t you just ask God Che directly?”
Xu Tangzhou: “…I’m afraid I might have analyzed it wrong.”
Huang Qian held back for a moment: “What would you do if you really knew each other?”
He knew that even with amnesia, Xu Tangzhou was still a fan of Ling Che’s looks, the kind who would dare to confront disparagers during a live broadcast.
Xu Tangzhou also didn’t know what he would do.
He said with confusion, “I’m wondering if I did something bad in the past? Or if we had some kind of disagreement? Otherwise, I can’t remember, and the more I try to think about it, the more it gives me a headache.”
The feeling of having a blank memory was really uncomfortable; unable to grasp anything, unable to catch hold of anything. Being led by the nose when you know nothing felt like walking blindfolded. Everything was unknown.
Huang Qian casually said, “What if there really was some unpleasantness? It’s all in the past, it won’t matter much. Since you can’t remember anyway, maybe it’s better not to think about it. Aren’t you getting along quite well now? It’s normal to feel familiar with someone after spending a lot of time together.”
But Xu Tangzhou was struck by this remark, and suddenly turned his head, “Could it be because of a temporary mark?”
Because the pheromones from a temporary mark could cause interference, leading to the incorporation of the other person’s memories. He had seen such cases in Qiu Yin’s books!
Huang Qian nearly choked and slammed on the brakes, stopping by the roadside: “What temporary mark?!”
Xu Tangzhou hadn’t mentioned this to him yet.
Xu Tangzhou felt a bit embarrassed with Huang Qian’s exaggerated reaction.
After learning about the process, Huang Qian: “……”
So, was God Che trying to have his cake and eat it too with Xu Tangzhou, without saying it outright?
He was just a small-time agent, and Xu Tangzhou, such an innocent kid, was entrusted to him. He had to take responsibility. Those alphas might not always have the best intentions in their heads! What if one day he got permanently marked?
Huang Qian felt he was in a really tough spot.
He didn’t want to offend Ling Che, nor did he want to deceive Xu Tangzhou.
If Xu Tangzhou hadn’t asked, it would have been fine. Now that he had, Huang Qian felt a pang of conscience.
Ling Che could probably never have imagined that in less than three days, the little agent would turn around and betray him.
With a sense of righteousness, Huang Qian betrayed the alpha who didn’t have the best intentions in his mind: “Zhouzhou… you and Ling Che did have a falling out. It was a very serious one, to the point of being archenemies.”
Xu Tangzhou: “Ah?!”
It took him several tens of seconds before he dared to believe his own ears.
He hadn’t misheard, had he?!
Seeing his shock, Huang Qian felt overwhelmed and in a moment of resignation revealed everything: “You broke up with him before.”
Xu Tangzhou: “???”
Marachne: I… am still navigating how to post 
Since this is my first time posting chapters myself… ahem I have to always preview multiple times before publishing. Oh, and since this one is a cliffhanger to me, I will post the next chapter immediately
Thanks for the chapter and I’m so glad you don’t stop at the cliffhanger for today.
Oh my, he said it!
Thank You for the new chapter (੭ु ›ω‹ )੭ु⁾⁾♡